1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the design and manufacture of materials, and more particularly to a preform component used to generate voids, pores, or cavities in any material especially engineered materials.
2. Background of the Related Art
This invention relates in general to the ability to establish a plurality of organized voids in a material, and also to load bearing structures and structures that provide an enhanced trade-off between the stress that can be safely carried in relation to the amount of material required for the structure.
Generally, voids have been created in materials using a number of existing foaming techniques. These foaming techniques produce materials having voids which are unorganized; i.e., the voids are randomly positioned as well as randomly placed. Moreover, a number of the voids in these materials are not enclosed - they are interconnected with adjacent voids.
Accordingly, existing processes cannot produce materials having enclosed voids and/or voids in a truly organized position within a material. Current techniques will also not allow voids to be created to an exact predetermined size and shape which are substantially self-enclosed.
Having voids which are organized non-interconnected voids is especially important in stress steering materials. Stress steering materials allow for forces placed on a structure to be resolved largely into compressive forces.
Such stress steering materials having symmetrically arranged voids have been developed which resolve a substantial majority of the stresses placed on the material into compressive stress using a novel structure containing voids. Such novel structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,615,528, 5,660,003, and 5,816,009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference (each patent being owned in common with the present application). Each of these disclosures describes the use of a plurality of uniform, symmetrically arrayed voids throughout the base material which results in a material structure that resolves the forces imposed thereon largely into compressive rather than tensile stress.
Research by NASA, and other respected scientific organizations, has determined that the more nearly uniform the voids and the more nearly symmetrical the arrangement of voids in a material, the greater the effective tensile strength of the material. Consequently, makers of foamed materials, and other materials in which porosity is a factor, have long sought a commercial method for positioning pores, or voids, of a predetermined size(s) in predetermined locations in a material to give the material a precise, three-dimensional morphology in order to optimize its effective tensile strength.
However, incorporating these voids in a three-dimensional symmetrical arrangement in materials is at best an arduous and costly task using conventional manufacturing techniques. Indeed, this is not yet possible with known material foaming techniques. Hence, the widespread use and acceptance of porous materials, including the stress steering materials disclosed in the above-identified patents, have been hampered due to the difficulties of incorporating the essential voids in materials.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a material, process, and/or system that will allow for easy manufacture of materials with predetermined morphologies that incorporate voids, including the patented stress steering materials.
Accordingly, the present invention provides methods and apparatuses for creating organized vorasity (voids positioned in a predetermined arrangement) in any material. The voids created using these novel methods and apparatus may be of any size, shape, and spacing, and may also be interconnected or each may be entirely enclosed.
Moreover, the spacing of the voids in a particular material may be symmetrical and/or asymmetrical to attain a desired material characteristic. Thus, to attain stress-steering according to the materials disclosed in the aforementioned patents, the voids must be arranged in a particular symmetrical arrangement.
Accordingly, materials with predetermined morphologies that incorporate voids, including the patented stress-steering materials that utilize a plurality of symmetrically arrayed, uniform voids to resolve forces imposed on a structure primarily into a compressive rather than tensile stress, may be manufactured using the unique and novel components and methods according to the present invention.
The preforms, examples of voided structures, as well as the manufacturing apparatuses and methods according to the present invention are also disclosed in a corresponding provisional application, No. 60/291,904, filed May 17, 2001. entitled, xe2x80x9cPreform For Manufacturing A Material Having A Plurality of Voids And Method Of Making The Samexe2x80x9d, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, voids are incorporated into a material through the use of either a preform material component or texturizing, or a combination of the two. The voids may be created in a material using known manufacturing methods.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a component material for establishing a plurality of voids.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of imparting a plurality of voids into a material.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention, a beaded preform for forming a plurality of voids in an engineered material includes a plurality of adjacently positioned beads.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a beaded preform for forming a plurality of voids in an engineered material includes extruding a preform material out a first opening to produce an extruded preform material and calendaring the extruded preform material to form a plurality of adjacently positioned beads thereon.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a coated, beaded preform for forming a plurality of voids in an engineered material includes providing a first flow of an extruding coating material to die, providing a beaded preform within the first flow, where the beaded preform is coated with the coating material, and extruding the first flow with the beaded preform from an opening to form a tow.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for producing an engineered material having a plurality of voids includes guiding a plurality of beaded preforms into a supply of a first material, coating the plurality of beaded preforms with the first material, shaping the coated preforms into a predetermined form and consolidating the form.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for producing an engineered structure comprised of a plurality of organized voids using a continuous casting apparatus includes guiding a beaded preform comprising a plurality of adjacently positioned beads into a matrix material, the material matrix held in a first container, guiding the matrix material into a space having a predetermined distance, whereby a product is formed having a predetermined thickness substantially equal to the distance.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a composite having a plurality of organized voids arranged therein includes imparting a first array of first voids upon a first laminate, whereby openings to the first voids are formed on a first side of the first laminate, and assembling the first laminate with a second laminate.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a laminate for assembly into a composite material includes a texture comprising a plurality of recesses on a first side, where the recesses correspond to a plurality of projections on a second side of the laminate.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing an engineered material having a plurality of organized voids includes guiding a beaded preform comprising a plurality of spaced apart beads within a continuous cast of molten material.
In yet another aspect of the present, a method of manufacturing an engineered material having a plurality of organized voids includes providing a beaded preform comprising a strand of adjacently positioned beads into any one of the following manufacturing processes:
additive manufacturing, atomistic manufacturing, layered manufacturing including fused deposition modeling, stereo-lithography, optical fabrication, solid base (ground) curing, plasma spray forming, sputtering, vapor deposition,
deformation and forming including bulk deformation processes including impression-die forging, open-die forging, coining, piercing, hubbing, fullering and edging, roll forging, ring rolling, direct extrusion, indirect extrusion, hydrostatic extrusion and impact extrusion,
sheet metal forming processes including shearing, bulging, rubber forming, high-energy-rate forming, superplastic forming, deep drawing, embossing, material removal including cutting, grinding, electrical discharge machining, water-jet machining, abrasive-jet machining, chemical machining and electrochemical machining and grinding,
casting including permanent molds including slush casting, pressure casting, insert molding, centrifugal casting and infiltration casting. expendable molds including vacuum casting, ceramic-mold casting, plaster-mold casting, shell-mold casting and sand casting, gel-casting, injection molding, compression molding, transfer molding, insert molding,
particulate material processing including sintering, cold isostatic pressing, and hot isostatic pressing, and
assembly and joining processes including friction stir welding, Resistance welding, explosive welding, brazing and soldering, arc welding, and laser welding.
These aspects will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings and the below detailed written description of the present invention.